


Camping Hell

by GenKay



Category: Cobra Kai (Web Series)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Camping, Comedy, Fluff and Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-13
Updated: 2020-06-13
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:08:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,244
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24696553
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GenKay/pseuds/GenKay
Summary: Robby wanted this trip, right? He asked for it. Then why was he making it so difficult?Future-fic. Miguel POV
Relationships: Miguel Diaz/Robby Keene
Comments: 4
Kudos: 102





	Camping Hell

Robby –

“U luk cute n tht shirt”

“M wearing wht u got me 2.”

Miguel smiled and glanced up. Yes, it was dumb, texting each-other when they were sitting five feet apart, but with Sensei in the middle, focused on the game and his mom right there in the kitchen, this was the only way to have a private conversation with each-other. So Miguel smiled at him and texted back.

“U hd tht shirt for ages.”

Robby –

“Nt wearing it on the outside…”

Miguel blushed and looked up again. Robby smirked at him and slid down ever so slightly on the couch, letting his shirt ride up and show off a sliver of his stomach. And the hint of the waistband peeking out from those jeans.

_Damn him. Mom and Sensei are right here. If he embarrasses me in front of them…_

“So Robby, got any plans for the big eighteen?” Carmen asked from the kitchen, unwittingly rescuing her son.

“Uh… not sure yet.” Robby replied, shyly. For some reason, he was always a little reserved around Miguel’s mom. Like he was always afraid of saying the wrong thing.

“I keep trying to talk him into having a party.” Sensei Lawrence said. “But he won’t hear of it.”

“Because that would be humiliating!” Robby argued. “What eighteen year old needs his parents to throw him a party?”

Okay – so clearly they’d had this argument before. And Miguel could empathize with Robby here. He’d firmly told his mom to stop throwing parties for him when he’d turned twelve. He didn’t want to be known at school as mama’s boy. At this age, you either had a birthday dinner with family or you threw your own party with friends – with some illegal underage drinking ofcourse. But having your parents throw you a party was social suicide.

Unless you were rich and could afford a party at one those swanky places, but that wasn’t relevant here.

“C’mon.” Johnny cajoled, punching Robby on the shoulder. “I got years of missed birthdays to make up for.”

“So what? You are gonna get me a clown and a bouncy house too?” Robby rolled his eyes. “No thanks. I’ll just hang out with my friends, alright?”

_And boyfriend. That goes without saying…_

Johnny sighed, disappointed and went back to the game. And Miguel threw Robby a look.

_C’mon dude, he’s trying here. Throw him a bone._

Robby looked annoyed and huffed.

“Maybe we can do something the weekend before my birthday.” He suggested quietly. “That might be fun.”

_Awesome. Brilliant. You are a genius. That’s why I love yo – love spending time with you._

“Yeah?” Johnny said, brightening up again. “That’d be great. We could make a whole weekend out of it. What do you wanna do?”

Robby just shrugged, trying not to look too excited. “Whatever. Anything’s fine.”

“No, c’mon.” Johnny punched his shoulder again. “It’s your birthday weekend. We’ll do whatever you want. There has to be something right?”

Robby shrugged again, not answering.

_There **is** something, _Miguel realized. _Something he is afraid to ask because he still isn’t sure about this relationship. He keeps expecting his dad to disappoint him and he doesn’t want to give him any excuses to. But Sensei won’t. You can trust him._ Miguel gave him an encouraging nod.

“I guess… I’ve never been camping with you before.” Robby said, trying to be nonchalant. “Dunno if you like it.”

“I love camping.” Sensei said, smiling gleefully.

“Yeah?” Robby was smiling, but still a little skeptical.

“Outdoors. Beers. Smores… what’s not to love?” Johnny looked so happy at the idea. “We’ll do that. In fact, we can make it a regular boy’s thing.”

_Awesome. This is simply awesome._ Miguel had been camping with Sensei twice already. First time when he was the only Cobra Kai student and Sensei thought he should learn the manly art of surviving in the wild. And the second time Sensei had taken a whole group of them. Both times had been amazing in their own ways.

“That’s a great idea, Robby.” Miguel couldn’t resist himself. “It’s gonna be an awesome weekend.”

Everyone seemed excited at the idea – even Carmen, though she hated the idea of sleeping outdoors.

“We’ll start shopping right away. Tomorrow.” Johnny was already making plans. “I kinda rented this stuff before, but now, I think it’s time to buy. You boys will have to share a tent, ofcourse. But separate sleeping bags. No doing the nasty right under my nose. What else do we need?...”

_Oops. This could be awkward._ Miguel hadn’t meant to invite himself and Sensei shouldn’t have taken that for granted. It was Robby’s weekend, right? He should’ve had the chance to decide whom to invite.

“Sensei – I’m not sure I’ll be free that weekend.” Miguel said hesitantly, watching for Robby’s reaction. “I might have studies.”

“Miggy, don’t be silly.” Carmen said. “Ofcourse you should go.”

Robby nodded too, still smiling. “Yeah, ofcourse you are coming.”

_Okay, that was a relief._

But then the thought of spending the weekend with Robby and Sensei….

* * *

Miguel loved Sensei. No one could doubt that. He practically worshiped the man.

And he lov… yes, he loved Robby too. Despite everything that had happened between them – or maybe because of it – they’d grown closer and closer until they’d fallen for each-other.

Individually, there were no other two people Miguel would rather spend the weekend with. But the two of them together….

The thing was, they fought like cats and dogs. They bickered all the bloody time. And somehow, Miguel always ended up in the middle, trying to play the peacemaker.

Sensei was kind of the problem here. He always tried way too hard. He was never like that with Miguel. With him, he was always so cool and confident – “Do this”, “Don’t wear that”, “That shit’s lame”. He had this natural take-charge attitude that Miguel responded to and admired. With Robby, though, it was like he was desperate for his approval. And that desperation showed. Even Miguel found it kind of pathetic. 

But Robby wasn’t without fault here. It was like he was still holding on to resentment from long ago. So whenever Sensei did something he didn’t like, he didn’t hold back from letting him know. Sometimes, Miguel felt like Robby wanted Sensei to fail. Like he was sure Sensei was going to and he just wanted to get it over with already.

But the basic problem was that they were two very different people, both stubborn in their own ways. Like how Sensei was all about All-American stuff – beers, burgers and barbecue. And the Japanophile Mr. LaRusso and a Ecuadorean boyfriend, Robby had developed a taste for the new and the exotic. Sensei knew what he liked and was good with it and Robby kept wanting to try new things, even if they blew up in his face. Like that disastrous _pho_ experiment. But Robby would never admit to being wrong and neither would Sensei and the bickering would go on and on.

And at some point, Robby always pulled out those magical words that sent Sensei over the edge – “ _That’s not what Mr. LaRusso says_ ”.

Things were better between them. They even got along pretty well. Some people might even call them friends – though both of them would be pretty quick to correct those people. But still, Sensei was never fully okay with the idea that Robby worshipped Mr. LaRusso the same way Miguel worshipped him.

So yes, while Miguel was excited at the idea of going camping with them, he started having second doubts that very night. He just knew that he’d end up in the middle of their bickering the whole trip.

* * *

Turned out, he didn’t even have to wait for the trip. The arguments started as soon as they went shopping.

“Trust me, Robby – this is the sleeping bag you want.” Sensei said, pointing to the one they’d used in their previous trips.

“No – this is better. It’s more comfortable.” Robby argued, showing him a different one.

It did look more comfortable to Miguel.

“How would you know? You’ve never been camping before.”

“I’ve never been camping with you.” Robby said quietly. “Mr. LaRusso took me. And we used this one. It’s really warm and comfortable.”

Miguel saw Sensei’s jaw clench and his eyes narrow. But somehow, he controlled himself.

“Yeah, well, camping is not about comfort, okay?” He argued. “It’s about getting in touch with nature.”

Robby rolled his eyes. “Then why are we buying this crap at all? Let’s just put on a loincloth and hunt animals with stones.”

_Alright. Time to end this. This was supposed to be Robby’s weekend, right?_

“Sensei, that one does look more comfortable.” Miguel cut in. “Might be easier on my back?”

“Oh…”

That was Miguel’s trump card. His back was almost back to normal, but even now, whenever he wanted to win and argument or get out of something, all he needed to do was bring it up and it was an automatic win.

“Right, ofcourse.” Sensei nodded. “Okay – we’ll take those. So the next thing…”

Sensei walked to the next section and they followed.

“For the record,” Miguel whispered in Robby’s ear, putting an arm around him. “I’d love to see you in a loincloth.”

Robby huffed, disentangling himself and walking faster, leaving Miguel confused.

_What did **I** do?_

* * *

If the car ride to the woods was any indication, Miguel was glad he’d decided to come after all. Someone had to be there to keep those two from killing each-other.

“The map says highway will be faster.”

“You can’t trust that g-pees. Trust me, backroads are faster.”

“It’s GPS and it gives you real-time information.”

“I don’t need that shit. I know that there’s gonna be a traffic jam on the highway.”

“Yeah – and the backroads too. Highway will still be faster.”

“Hey, how about we just take the scenic route and don’t worry about time so much?” Miguel interjected from the back-seat.

“Shut-up, Miguel.” They both snapped in unison.

_For fuck’s sake…_

“Why do you still have this thing in your car. It’s 2020. Nobody uses cassettes anymore.”

“I’m not gonna ruin this beauty by putting in a cd-deck.”

“Yeah – nobody uses those anymore either…”

“Mr. LaRusso sold you this car, right? Can’t believe he’d do this. I work with him, I know he upgrades even the pre-owned cars.”

“Yeah, he had some ugly shit there. I had to put this in special.”

“You _chose_ to put this in? You _chose_ to go backwards in time?”

“It’s called going retro and it’s classy.”

“It’s just a matter of taste, right? No big deal.” Miguel tried again.

“Shut-up, Miguel.”

_Kill me now…_

“Told you we’d find traffic on backroads too.”

“Yeah. Sure. Got any more helpful ideas?”

“Here’s one – get this Delorean upto 88 miles, go back in time and fucking listen to me.”

“Dude – that won’t work.” Miguel smiled. “We don’t have a flux capacitor.”

“ _Miguel_!”

_Well, I tried…_

* * *

Things calmed down a little by the time they got to the camping spot. Well, not calm, but quieter. There was till tension in the air, but atleast they weren’t sniping at each-other.

“I’ll setup the tents.” Robby said, as soon as they put their bags down.

“Sure.” Johnny agreed. “Miguel, you wanna help me gather the firewood?”

_Should I?_ This was supposed to be Robby’s weekend. Should he really leave him there alone?

“Umm… Robby might need help with the tents, right?” He suggested.

“He’ll be fine.” Johnny said coldly. “LaRusso taught him how to set them up. And gathering wood will be faster with two people.”

“Yeah, I can handle it.” Robby agreed. “Go.”

Miguel still felt a little bad for leaving Robby alone. Maybe he could’ve just helped and put him in a better mood?

“He just needs some time to cool down.” Sensei said. “He has just been a brat through this whole thing.”

_Well, not like you were much better._

The rest of the day went better. Sensei _was_ trying very hard. He was doing his best to re-create the experience he’d given Miguel. But for some reason, the magic was missing this time around.

After setting up the camp, they hiked down to the lake for fishing. They didn’t catch anything – but that wasn’t the point. They were just supposed to sit there, talking and drinking beers.

Well, Sensei was kind of right. Robby was being cranky and annoying – even though he was trying to hide it. He just couldn’t help being annoyed at them for some reason and he kept making comments that drove Sensei over the edge.

“Coors?” He looked skeptically when Johnny handed him the can.

“Yeah. Why?” Sensei said with clenched jaw. “Did LaRusso give you options before packing the cooler?”

“No. Mr. LaRusso doesn’t encourage underage drinking.” Robby smirked.

“So he didn’t let you drink?” Johnny narrowed his eyes.

“I didn’t say that…” Robby said, opening the can and taking a sip.

“Miguel had his first beer here, isn’t that right?” Sensei said smiling.

_He’s trying so hard. Trying to give Robby one of his firsts. And it’s breaking his heart that LaRusso got it first._

“Nice.” Robby replied evenly. “My first was when I was ten, I think. Mom was out and I just took one from the fridge. I hated that one.”

They were all feeling buzzed and pleasant by the time the sun went down.

“Well, doesn’t look like we are gonna have any luck this time either.” Johnny said, giving up hope and reeling in the empty line.

“Does this lake even have fish?” Miguel added, packing it in. “We never catch anything.”

“Pity.” Robby commented. “Mr. LaRusso taught me how to clean and cook it. Could’ve been fun.”

Sitting under the stars around the campfire made the whole thing worth it. The sandwiches were already gone during fishing, so they choked down the canned chilli. It was disgusting, but hey, that was part of the camping experience. And ofcourse, the smores after made everything better.

They talked through the night about everything and nothing. Sensei recounted his own childhood camping trips with the old Cobra Kai. Nothing like this one. More like the one Miguel had gotten taste of.

“We did this thing at Coyote Creek, where we were divided into teams.” Miguel told Robby. “And we had to take each-others’ headbands to win the competition.”

“Cool.” Robby replied. “My woods training was completely different.”

“Let me guess. LaRusso had you communing with the nature.” Sensei scoffed.

“Pretty much.” Robby agreed. “He had me up on a tree for hours, practicing my kicks. Must have fallen down a hundred times. But it was still the best day in the woods I ever spent.”

_Until today. Say that – until today._

Robby didn’t.

They talked a lot more. About different training methods. Different priorities. Different ways of teaching teamwork.

“Hey, I teach my students teamwork.” Johnny said indignantly. “I have them watch movies to learn about it.”

“You give them movies as homework?” Robby asked. “Which ones?”

“Y’know, all the classics.” Johnny replied. “Iron Eagle. Top Gun.”

“The gay movie?” Robby was amused.

“No – it’s the one about fighter pilots. The one with Tom Cruise.” Johnny explained.

“Yeah, that’s the one I meant.” Robby said, smirking.

They both looked askance at Robby. _Has he even seen it?_

“Oh, c’mon.” Robby shrugged. “Guy loses another guy he loves. Goes into depression. Then finds a new love and ends up with him as his partner? That’s totally gay.”

“No – not that kind of partners.” Johnny replied. “They are rivals turned friends.”

“Yeah – like me and Miguel.” Robby smirked.

Johnny looked between them, at a loss for words.

“And all the other stuff they put in there.” Robby continued. “Guys in towels in the locker-room. That shirtless volleyball scene. Cruise in his tighty-whities… woof!”

“That’s… it’s not like that.” Johnny insisted. “It’s called male bonding.”

“It’s called homoerotic subtext.” Robby returned.

“No, no, no – you are not ruining Top Gun for me.” Johnny said firmly. “It’s about something pure and beautiful and you are not turning it into something ugly.”

“Oh, so two guys in love with each-other is ugly now?” Robby raised his eyebrows. “Real nice, dad?”

Johnny looked between them again, trapped by his own words. And Miguel couldn’t hold back any longer.

“Stop messing with him, dude.” He said, laughing.

Robby joined in, finally laughing for the first time that day. And even Sensei gave them a smile.

“You’re a real smartass, you know that?” He said. “Okay, time to turn in for the night. And before you two get any ideas, remember, I’m ten feet away and I can hear everything.”

* * *

Sensei was weak, after all. Despite his promises, in the end he’d broken down and bought them a doubles sleeping bag. They still couldn’t do much – Sensei was still just ten feet away and it was pretty cold – but that wasn’t going to stop Miguel from snuggling up with his boyfriend. Or pushing a hand inside his pants.

“Dude, quit it.” Robby said crossly. “I’m not doing the Brokeback with you.”

Miguel smiled in the darkness, kissing Robby’s hair and putting his arms around him to pull him closer.

“So, how does this part compare to your trip with Mr. LaRusso?” he asked.

“I don’t wanna talk about it.” Robby replied, still annoyed.

“Really? You couldn’t stop talking about it all day.”

“Sorry…” Robby said softly.

_C’mon. We are two guys in love, in a tent alone with each-other. We should be loving this a lot more._ He slipped his hand under Robby’s shirt.

“I said stop.” Robby sounded frustrated. “Your hands are cold and I’m tired.”

“What’s wrong with you today?” Miguel was getting annoyed now too. The whole trip had been Robby’s idea and yet, he was the one with the bad attitude through it.

“Nothing.” Robby insisted. “Told you I’m tired.”

“No – you’ve been like this all day.” Miguel said. “I’m used to your bickering with Sensei, but you’ve been pretty shitty to me too.”

“Sorry…” Robby said again and it annoyed Miguel even more.

_I don’t need a sorry, I need an explanation. It’s like you don’t want me here. If you were going to be like this, then you shouldn’t have invited me in the first – Oh…_

Robby hadn’t invited him. Sensei and mom had just taken it for granted that he’d be going and Robby had gone along with it, but he hadn’t actually invited him.

“You didn’t want me on this trip.” Miguel said, quietly.

“Don’t be stupid. Ofcourse, I did.”

Miguel knew him well enough by now to spot a lie.

“No, you didn’t. You just went along with it because of others.”

“You are being a drama queen.” Robby sighed. “Ofcourse I wanted you here. I love yo- love spending time with you.”

That was true. Robby did love him. So why…? _Shit, shit, shit. I should’ve seen this sooner._

“You wanted it to be just you and your dad.”

The way Robby tensed and went still in his arms told Miguel that he’d hit on the truth. Robby had wanted some special bonding time with his dad – just the two of them – and like a clueless idiot, Miguel had forced his way into it.

_No, I didn’t. I didn’t force anything. I was waiting for Robby to invite me, but everyone just acted like it wasn’t even necessary._

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Miguel asked.

“Because it’s stupid.” Robby replied, frustrated with himself. “It’s childish, not wanting to share your dad. I mean, other guys have brothers, right? They don’t have a problem sharing their dad.”

“I’m not your brother.” Miguel said. “Brothers don’t do stuff that I do to you.”

Robby huffed out a small laugh at that.

“Dude, if you wanted some alone time with your dad, you should’ve just said so.” Miguel told him. “I get that, I really do.”

He felt Robby shake his head.

“He wanted you here.”

“Well, this trip is supposed to be about what you want.”

Robby sighed. “I want… I want him to want to be alone with me.”

_Dammit, Sensei. You screwed this one up. Robby wants to get close to you too – but he’s scared. Scared that you don’t care as much about him._

Everything made so much sense now. Why the magic was missing on this trip. Because everything Sensei was giving him, he’d given to Miguel first. And Robby didn’t want someone else’s hand-me-downs from his own father. That was why his mood was off all day – because they kept talking about how it compared to Johnny’s trip with Miguel. He’d wanted something unique and special from his father and he kept finding out that he was getting something used.

And that’s why he kept bringing up Mr. LaRusso. For payback. To show Johnny that he wasn’t getting anything special or unique from Robby either. That if Johnny couldn’t give him what he needed, there was someone else who was willing to. But he still wanted it from Johnny.

“You should’ve told him.” Miguel said again. “You should tell him, okay. Just talk to him. He’ll get it.”

That was the only way forward. Robby had to tell him what he needed. Sure, Miguel knew that Sensei loved him like a son, but Robby _was_ his son. Sensei didn’t actually owe Miguel anything and he still managed to get more than his fair share. Robby deserved the same. More, in fact, given how Sensei talked about failing him all those years. He owed Robby this.

But Robby shook his head again.

“It doesn’t mean anything unless it comes from him.” He said. “I don’t want him to do it out of guilt or pity or because he thinks he owes me. I want him to care enough to think of it himself. And if he can’t, that just means…” Robby stopped himself.

“Means what?” Miguel asked.

“Nothing.”

“Robby, what does it mean?” Miguel insisted.

“It means that he cares more about you.”

_Dammit._

Miguel pulled him closer and kissed his neck. “That’s not true.” He said.

But it did look like it. He couldn’t deny that. Despite not being his father, it seemed like Sensei shared more of himself with Miguel than he did with Robby. With all they had gone through to build Cobra Kai from the ground, it seemed like they shared a closer bond. And maybe part of it was true.

“It doesn’t matter.” Robby said. “I’m sure he loves us both equally.”

“Maybe.” Miguel whispered in his ear. “But you want him to love you more, right?”

Robby shifted uncomfortably in his arms and once again, Miguel knew he’d hit the mark.

“No – I’m not like that.” Robby said. “I don’t want to be. Thinking like that is selfish and petty. And I’m being an ass.”

_Is it? Are you?_

“I know my mom loves me the most in the world.” Miguel said. “No one else comes first for her. And I’m sure Mr. LaRusso feels the same way about his kids, right? I mean, did he ask you to go camping before he asked his son?”

“Anthony isn’t interested in anything that doesn’t have a screen.” Robby said sullenly.

That wasn’t an answer, but Miguel had his anyway. People deserved that from their parents – to feel like they were loved above everything else. Miguel had that feeling from his mom and grandma. And his friends had it from their parents. Even Sensei had it from _his_ mom.

But Robby… Miguel had heard all about his mom and her issues. And he wasn’t going to get it from Mr. LaRusso. Daniel might think the world of Robby and give him everything he could, but he still had his own kids who came first. And Sensei – he’d already admitted to failing Robby before. And it seemed like he was failing him still.

“There is nothing wrong with wanting your dad to put you first.” Miguel said. “I’m sure if you talk to Sensei - ”

“Then he never will.” Robby finished. “And that’s why you are not gonna say anything either. I don’t want to force him into acting like that, alright? I know he feels guilty for never being around, so he’ll do it. But that won’t be real. He needs to figure it out for himself.”

_But Sensei isn’t smart like that. When it comes to being in touch with his emotions, he’s like the dumbest person I’ve ever seen._

“And if he can’t?”

Robby scoffed. “Story of my life…”

Miguel didn’t miss the slight tremor in his voice. He held him tighter and kissed him again.

* * *

Miguel was going to be sore head to toe tomorrow. Today’s class was especially hard. Sensei had driven them hard – as if he was taking out all his frustrations about the camping trip on them.

And there were plenty of those to take out. The second day had been better. Robby had sworn Miguel to secrecy and he had been a lot more accommodating the next day. But the magic just wasn’t there and they’d all felt it. Miguel had tried to give them some time alone by taking an extra-long bathroom break, but that had backfired spectacularly once Sensei came looking for him. After that, Sensei had been convinced that Miguel was falling sick and Robby had immediately jumped at the excuse to cut the trip short. And the ride home had been pretty uncomfortable – with Robby immediately jumping on the back-seat and staying silent all the way.

“Sensei, you were pretty rough on us out there today.” Miguel complained, going into his office.

“Life’s rough, kid. Get used to it.” Johnny snapped.

_Dammit._

“Guess you are still pissed off about the camping trip, huh?” Miguel asked.

Johnny sighed and shook his head, frustrated.

“I don’t know what went wrong there. It was supposed to be a good trip.”

_Don’t say anything. You promised Robby. You gave your word._

_Well, fuck that. Am I just supposed to sit by and watch two people I love be miserable because I “gave my word”?_

“I tried to give him what he wanted.” Sensei muttered.

“No, you didn’t.” Miguel sighed, sitting down. “He didn’t want me there.”

“Don’t be silly.” Sensei snapped. “Robby loves yo- loves spending time with you.”

Miguel smiled at that. “Yeah, but he wanted to spend this time with you.”

“I was there.” Johnny shrugged.

“I mean – he wanted this trip to be just you and him.” Miguel explained. “Like a father and son trip.”

“Oh…”

Johnny’s face went blank. He blinked, processing the information. Clearly, the thought hadn’t even occurred to him.

“He could’ve said something.” He said at last.

“He wanted you to figure it out on your own.” Miguel explained.

“How the hell am I supposed to do that?” Sensei said, perplexed. “Am I supposed to read his mind? He should’ve said something.”

Miguel bit his lip. _This is going nowhere._

“Would you have said anything?” He tried a different angle. “If Robby had invited Mr. LaRusso on this trip, would you have told him not to?”

_Got him, right?_ Miguel thought as he saw Sensei Lawrence open and close his mouth, looking for an answer.

“That’s different.” He argued. “LaRusso is… LaRusso. But you are his boyfriend. He is supposed to want you around.”

“Is that what you were thinking of when you thought I was coming?” Miguel asked. “About how much you wanted Robby’s boyfriend around?”

Johnny pursed his lips, annoyed. Miguel knew that he still had trouble thinking of them as lovers, even though he was trying to get accustomed. Most of the times, he just ignored that fact and thought of them as his boys.

“Robby wanted a trip with his dad.” Miguel finished. “Instead he got one with his boyfriend and boyfriend’s dad.”

“Because we kept talking about how it compared with our first one, right?” Johnny sighed and Miguel nodded. He rubbed his forehead. “Dammit, I really screwed this one up, didn’t I?”

Miguel nodded, mouth scrunched up in sympathy. _See Robby? He really does care about you and he really wants to do this right. He just has some trouble figuring out how._

“I’ll talk to him.” Johnny said, nodding to himself. “I’ll tell him I’m sorry and we’ll do it right next weekend. Just the two of us.”

_No, that won’t work. Robby’s smart and he has a suspicious mind. He’ll figure out I talked to Sensei in seconds._

“You can’t.” Miguel said. “Sensei, Robby never talks about what he really wants. He doesn’t want to guilt you into anything. If you tell him you are sorry now, he’ll think that you are doing it out of guilt, not because you want to.”

“So I can’t even apologize to him?” Johnny said, distressed. “Why is this so hard?”

He was rubbing his forehead again.

“Miguel, you know I care about you, right?” He asked. “And you get that just because I care about Robby, it doesn’t mean I love you any less? You understand that right?” Miguel nodded. “Then why doesn’t he?”

_Because it’s not that simple._ It hadn’t exactly been easy for Miguel either. There was time when he’d thought that caring for Robby meant that Miguel had been a replacement. Just a stand-in son for Sensei to focus on until his real one came back.

“We kinda have a lot of things that are just for us, right?” Miguel mused. “Like we have our thing with karate? And our own camping trip? Guess Robby just feels like he’s being left behind.”

Johnny shook his head. “I keep asking him though.” He said. “I want him to train with me. He doesn’t even need to join Cobra Kai. I offered to do it with just the two of us.”

“He doesn’t just want a repeat of what we have.” Miguel shook his head. “He wants something different from you. Something that’s just between you and him.”

Johnny took a deep breath, trying to think of something.

“So, you got any ideas? I don’t actually have a lot going for me here, you know that, right?”

“I…” Miguel shrugged despondently. “All I know that you really care about him and somehow he still doesn’t feel like you do.”

“Bet LaRusso would know.” Sensei said bitterly. “He’s good at like a thousand different things.”

Miguel thought about that. _It really doesn’t have to be like it is with me, right? Sensei introduced me to a whole new world of stuff, but it doesn’t need to be the same with Robby._

“Maybe, it doesn’t have to be something you are good at?” He suggested. “It could be something you are bad at, but he could teach you?”

_This… could work. Sure sensei wanted to impress Robby, but the real point here was to bond with him. It didn’t have to be something he already knew._

In fact, it’d be better that way. Johnny taught Miguel things – that was their thing. But he didn’t change much for him. He was still the gruff, 80’s obsessed curmudgeon Miguel had loved from the start.

But if he did that for Robby… made more of an effort, tried different things… that would show him, right?

“Yeah, I can do that.” Sensei replied, thinking. “Guess there is a whole bunch of stuff he could teach me there.”

**End.**


End file.
